Incinerating-furnace.



PATENTED-YOGTQ 18, 1904.

P. L. STEARNS. INGINERATING FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 3, 1903.

5 SHEETS-SHEET N0 MODEL.

0 wve/wtoz gay? m X e1 Wm No. 772,681. PATENTED 001'. 18, 1904.

, F. L. STEARNS.

INGINERATING FURNACE.

PliLIOA N FILED 3.

Patented October 18, 1904.

PATENT ()FFICE.

FREDERICK L. STEARNS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

lNClNEBATlNG-FURNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 772,681, dated October 18, 1904.

Application filed December 3, 1903. Serial No. 183,582. (No model.) i

and by which furnace the charges of waste material are subjected to intense heat for securlng theirperfect combustion, the only gases arising being the products of combustion and not such gases as arise from incomplete combustion of the refuse. The prodnets of combustion are carried off by a high chimney to be dissipated into space.

Another object of my invention is to adapt the furnace as a steam-boiler heater to furnish power for a suitable engine or motor to operate any working parts of the furnace or any other part to be driven. v

A further object of the invention is to provide an incinerating-furnace of large capacity especially adapted to disposing of the waste material from large cities; also,to provide an economical and otherwise efficient incinerating-furnace.

My invention consists of certain features of construction and combinations of parts, to

be hereinafter described and then pointed out in the claims.

1n the accompanying drawings, which illustrate va desirable form of my invention, Figure 1 is a front elevation of an-incinerating-furnace embodying the invention, the chimney being shown broken away. Fig. 2 is a side view of thesame, in which the'chimney is also shown broken away. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3 3 of Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4c is a vertical section on the line 4 L of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a'vertical section on the line 5 5 of Figs. 3311(14. Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a vertical. section on the line 7 7 of Figs. 3, 4, and

6. .Fig..,8is a vertical section on the line 8 8 of.Figs.,.3, 4, and 6.

i I Referring to the drawings, the walls a of v the furnaceare of any suitable fireproof material, as fire-brick, concrete, or the like.

The combustion portion of the furnace is duplex that is to say, there are two main combustiomchambers I) b, which are arranged parallel with each other and areprovided at the bottom portions with stoking-doors 0 0',

respectively, which doors may furthermore be provided with suitably-closed stoke-holes 0 if it is not desirable to open the entire door.

- The bottom of each main combustion-chamber is furnished with a grate d d, which consists, preferably, of grate bars of considerable length extending lengthwise of each main combustion-chamber.

Extending transversely of the main combastion-chambers b b and located under the grates do? are two sets of supplemental combustion-chambers e 0, respectively, there being preferably three supplemental combustion-chambers in each set, one set for each main combustion chamber. These supplemental combustion-chambers are provided with doors 0 for the purpose of stoking, which doors may furthermore be provided with suitablyclosed stoke-holes c 7 There is preferably a pair of doors for each supplemental combustion-chamber e e. The bottom of each supplemental combustion-chamber is formed by grates f f, consisting of bars extending, preferably, parallel to the grates cl d. The spaces or interstices of the grates ff are of less width than those of the grates dd. Below the supplemental combustion-chambers e e and below the grates f f are ash-pits g g, which extend parallel with the supplemental combustion-chambers e e, from which ashpits g g the ashes are preferably removed by means hereinafter to be described.

From the description sofar it will be seen that there is a plurality of main combustionchambers, each having below it a plurality of transverse supplemental combustion-chambers and. below these a plurality of ash-pits. The main combustion-chambers are charged with the waste material from above through suitable manholes, 72. it, closed, as by means of manhole-covers 71 703, suitably suspended, as by chains it. The manhole It being larger than h may be used for charging comparatively dry refuse material or rubbish into the fore part of the main combustion-chamber,

while the small manhole It may be used for moist material, such as garbage, which enters the main combustion-chamber at a point behind the place of combustion of the more combustible rubbish.

The forward ends of the main combustionchambers are provided with suitably-operated slide-doors 2' 2", either or both of which may be opened, according to the size of the pieces of rubbish to be charged into the furnace and which could not be passed through the manhole it. The double slide-doors v12" obviate the necessity of one large door and the objectionable entrance of cold air when one of the doors 2' z" is sufficient when opened to admit the piece to be burned.

The plurality of main combustion-chambers 7) b are connected by a branch flue j, which extends transversely of the inner ends of said main combustion-chambers, and the supplemental combustion-chambers e e are connected at their inner ends by means of openings 6 With a branch flue y". The branch flues jj converge in a main fiue it, with which they are connected by a passage 7c, so that the products of combustion from all of the combustion-chambers eventually pass into one flue, as 70. This flue 7c communicates, as shown in Fig. 3, with a chimneyZ and is controlled, preferably, by means of a verticallysliding damper m, guided in ways m in the sides of the flue and operated by means of a chain m which passes through a guide-plate m the opening through which is of small size to substantially preclude the entrance of atmospheric air.

Returning now to the ash-pits g g of the furnace, it willbe seen that there are two sets or a plurality of sets thereof, under each of which are a plurality of suitable endless conveyers n n, which form traveling bottoms for the ash-pits and which are trained over guide pulleys or wheels 0, suitably supported in the foundation-walls of the furnace by means of shafts 0 0 The endless conveyers are preferably driven from their outer ends, so that their upper laps will travel in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 5-that is to say, the upper laps of the two sets of conveyers travel to- Ward a common center, whence the ashes may be removed in any suitable manner. The ashpits g g are at their outer ends closed in any suitable manner, as by means of double-acting doors p, Which act in the manner of flap- Valves, being hinged atp' to suitable supports p fixed to the furnace-walls. These doors permit the insertion of stoking devices or feeding devices in case the ash-pits should become clogged and close automatically, so as to cut off an undue amount of air. The in ner ends of the ash-pits are closed in like manner by means of hinged doors g, which open automatically to the ashes as the same are fed to the common point. These doors 1 are arranged along the sides of a transverse ashchamber q between the sets of ash-pits.

The operation of the furnace so far as described is as follows: l\laterial to be burned is charged into the main combustion-chambers, either or both of them, the material falling on the grate (Z, and if sufiicientl y dry may be ignited to start the furnace. [f the material be more or less wet, it is preferable to put coal or some highly-combustible material into the supplemental combustion chambers and start fires in them, the flames rising through the grate (Z and igniting the material charged into the main combustion-ehambers 7/.

In the ordinary working of the furnace the refuse and garbage, either or both, are partly consumed in the main combustion chamber or chambers,the charred material falling through the openings of the grate (Z into the supplemental combustion-chambers, where the fire continues to burn the material entirely to ash. The small openings of the grate f precludes the falling below of material which can pass through the larger openings of the grate (I. The products of combustion and gases passing from the main combustion-chainbers and from the supplemental combustion-chambers e a pass to the common or trunk flue Z, and as this flue and fines jj are of considerable length and as the combustion-chainbers are arranged, as shown, relatively to each other and to their fines the combustion-chambers and the walls of the lines become intensely hot, with the result that the combustible gases which are notdirectly consumed by the fires are consumed by the time the products of combustion are carried to the chimney. The products of combustion, including the non-inflammable gases, which are less objectionable than the noxious gases of the crude refuse or garbage, are carried off by the chimney high into the air and are then dissipated. The furnace is so constructed that the necessary air to support combustion will find entrance through door p, which after the furnace has worked for some time may be closed, as after the fires have become intensely hot sufiicient air will find entrance through airspaces leading to the ash-pits. Air to support combustion may also be admitted through the door 0 and the best means to regulate the furnace will be found by practice.

The moving parts of the furnace, consisting of the endless conveyers and their supports, are located in a comparatively cool belt inasmuch as they are separated .from the intensely-hot belt comprising the main combustion-chambers by the less hot belt comprising the supplemental combustion-cha1nbers in which the remains of the material mainly consumed and charred in the main combustionchambers is completely reduced to ashes.

The heat generated by this incineratingfurnace is preferably utilized for generating steam which may be used to drive a suitable engine to furnish power for operating the endless conveyers or for supplying power for some other purpose desired. To this end the flue 7c is connected by an opening 7 with a large chamber 8, in which is supported a steam-generator s, which may be of the tubular or any other suitable type, and which steam-boiler chamber .9 preferably contains a grate s for a fire which may be .used independently of the furnace for generating steam or in conjunction with it. At one side of the grate s is a fire-bridge t, which separates the steam-boiler chamber 3 below the boiler from a flue- 6", connected by a damper-controlled passage a with the remote end of the flue it. Thisflue t is auxiliary to the flue 7c and is controlled by suitable damper a, constructed, arranged, and operated similarly to the main damper m. It will be seen that on opening the damper m and closing the damper uthe boiler will not be heated to any material extent; but when the damper u is opened and the damper m closed all the intensely-hot products of combustion will pass through the passage v1" into the chamber 8 through the tubes of the boiler s and the flue t into the chimney Z. Thus the boiler is sufliciently heated to generate steam, although if at the outset the furnace-heat is insufficienta supplemental fire may be lighted on the grate 8 Access to the various flues described may be obtained by means of suitable doors for the purpose of relieving them of accumulation and soot. It may be desirable to use airinjectors under one or more of the grates.

Without restricting myself to details, as some features may be omitted and others used in combination with other parts producing equivalent. results and their form and construction modified, what I claim as my invention, and desire to secure byv Letters Patent,

1. In an incinerating or refuse furnace, the combination of a main combustion-chamber and its grate, a supplemental combustioir chamber and its grate, the said main chamber being located at the top of the supplemental chamber, and its grate discharging onto the and separate flues leading from said chambers to the main flue, substantially as set forth.

3. In an incinerating or refuse furnace, the

combination of a plurality of main combust1on-chambers and thclr grates, said grates being composed of bars extending longitudinally of said chambers, a plurality of supplemental combustion-chambers arranged under each main chambcrand provided with gratebars, said bars-for the main chamber resting on the walls of the supplemental chambers, said supplemental chambers being arranged transverse to the upper grate-bars,- and flues leading from said chambers, substantially as set forth.

I. In an incinerating or refuse furnace, the combination of a main chamber, a plurality of supplemental combustion-chambers under and transverse of the main chamber, a transverse flue at the rear end of and communicating with the main chamber, and a longitudinal flue located in a plane beneath that of the said transverse flue and communicating with the rear ends of the supplemental chambers, substantially asset forth.

5. In an incinerating or refuse furnace, the combination of a plurality of main combustion-chambers, a plurality of sets of supple-.

combination of a combustion-chamber, a

grate, an ash-pit, a conveyer located below and spaced away from the ends of the ash-pit, and movable devices for closing the spaces below the ends of the ash-pit, the walls of the ash-pit, the conveyer and the movable devices forming means substantially closing the ashpit against admission of air-currents.

' 7 In an incinerating or refuse furnace, the

combination of a combustion-chamber, a

grate, an ash-pit, an endless-belt conveyer to remove ashes, and doors between the ends of the ash-pit and the conveyer, the walls of the ash-pit, the conveyer and the doors forming means substantially closing the ash-pit against admission of air-currents.

8. In an incinerating or refuse furnace, the combination of a combustion-chamber, an outlet-flue connected therewith and provided with adamper, a steam-boiler chamber adapted to be shunted into communication with the flue, an inlet-flue and an outlet-flue for said chamber leading respectively from and to the said flue from the incinerating-furnace, a tubular steam-boiler, a bridge under the end of the boiler and between the flues of said chamber, the inlet-opening into the steam-boiler chamber being close to the inner side of said bridge, whereby the hot gases and products of combustion may be caused to pass, from said inlet-opening, along under the boiler and then through the tubes thereof, and a damper controlling the steam-boiler chamber, substantially as set forth. 10

Signed at New York city, New York, this 2d day of December, 1903.

FREDERICK L. STEARNS. Witnesses:

JNo. M. SARDINE, GEORGE P. FALL. 

